Francisco Lufinha set a new world record, along with German world record holder Anke Brandt in an unprecedented odyssey that began on September 4 in Ponta Delgada on the island of São Miguel.
Lufinha and the team were welcomed as true heroes in the Marina of Oeiras, after a long journey with 1,646 km that had several obstacles and set a historical landmark in the nautical sport worldwide.
“It is very gratifying to have achieved this new goal and set a new world record. Ten days later, we were able to finish this extremely hard crossing, which demanded a great deal from us in physical and psychological terms. With head winds, which diverted us from the route, made it more difficult “explains Francisco Lufinha.
“In the end, I, Anke and the entire support team, are proud of this achievement. And I’m even happier because four years after my first odyssey I finally managed to connect Portugal by sea, “says Lufinha.
Anke Brandt was equally pleased and fulfilled: “It was a very demanding crossing, especially since I came across a sea and a kind of strong swell with which I was not familiar. But the joy of having overcome this challenge overcomes all the feelings of difficulty that we face. It was a great pleasure to discover the Azores and the fantastic Portuguese sea along with Francisco “she said.
More than setting a new world record, Francisco Lufinha thus fulfilled the goal of connecting Portugal by sea kitesurfing, which was proposed in 2013, on the first crossing.
